Ground and Pound was a big round zero all preseason. The Jets passing game was a No Fly Zone.

With the season opener against the Bills only five days away, Rex Ryan was asked yesterday how many touchdowns he expected his offense to score in the opener and this was his answer:

“I don’t care how many we score. I don’t care about any of that. I just want to have one more point than the Bills do, and that’s every week,’’ he said. “It doesn’t matter. The defense has to hold them to this. The offense has to score. We don’t care; it’s all about getting one more point than the opponent and that’s it. If that means we don’t score a touchdown and we still win, we’ll be happy and the Jets fans will be happy.’’

Believe me, Jets fans will be a lot happier with a blowout. At the least, they want a couple of touchdowns.

How about going out on a limb and say you are expecting two, maybe three touchdowns? All this puts Rex’s defense-first mentality on display once again. That’s who he is as a coach. That is his coaching DNA.

You can be sure Jets fans would be happier if the under-wraps offense and Wildcat package roar to victory over the Bills on Sunday and make it JetLife Stadium, especially since the Bills are starting a rookie cornerback, Stephon Gilmore.

This is the New Rex, trying not to rile up the competition as much as in the past, but wouldn’t it had been great if he had shown just a little more confidence in his offense and stated, “I expect us to score at least two touchdowns.’’

It’s not like Rex hasn’t been afraid to open his mouth in years past and this isn’t exactly predicting a Super Bowl victory (again), it’s only about crossing the goal line a few times.

Ryan has always been all about defense and this year he is back to taking a bigger role in that defense. That’s a really good thing for the Jets, and that defense appears to be set for a big season. But even the best defense will get worn down if the offense doesn’t produce and take time off the clock.

Ryan needs to show he is there for the offense, too. Talk big for the “O.’’ What’s the harm?

If this offense doesn’t produce this season, if this offense doesn’t come up big when it needs to come up big, then it all falls on Ryan’s shoulders. Blame Rex Ryan, no one else.

This year, the ball is in Rex’s hands as the Jets have their new offensive coordinator in Tony Sparano. The coaching scapegoats have left the building. Sure there is pressure on Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow to produce, but, make no mistake, this is all about Rex.

If this offense is once again a dinosaur that can’t score, a T-Rex offense again this season, Rex Ryan is going to be extinct. If it all somehow works out, give Ryan the credit.

Perhaps, the Jets will come out on their first possession of the regular season under Sanchez and drive to a touchdown, something they didn’t do during 15 Sanchez possessions in the preseason. That will put the preseason in the rear-view mirror, where it belongs.

Protecting Sanchez is the highest priority. Last season Sanchez was sacked 39 times. That lack of protection will destroy any quarterback’s confidence. That’s good training for an MMA career, but it is not a healthy way to learn to play quarterback in the NFL.

So far, this offense has not inspired any positive thinking, but the Jets, Sanchez noted, are saving “our good stuff for Buffalo.’’ Hopefully for the Jets and Sanchez, that good stuff that has been under wraps will produce touchdowns and a big victory to start the season.